EatDrinkJobs Job Seeker Growth

1. Julie was working at the New York State Restaurant Associaton for many years.

2. Julie wanted to create a job board for the Assoication.

3. Julie got the same feedback over and over again. The restaurants didn't want another job board, they wanted a way to get QUALIFIED candidates.

4. Julie started researching and found that almost all the job postings were on the dreaded CRAIGSLIST. Producing a large volume of candidates, but a small volume of qualified candidates. Julie ditched the Restaurant Association and decided to create a professional job site for the restaurant and bar community.

EatDrinkJobs Part 2: The Lean Startup and Iteration #1

1. Julie partners with her friend, Jason, who has a complimentary skill set to Julie's Sales/Marketing background. Jason is a Project Manager type and tech oriented.

2. Julie and Jason round out the team with bringing on Startup Giraffe who builds the website.

3. Iteration #1: Create a beautiful website with job seeker profiles and employer dashboard and require all applicants to HAVE A LEAST ONE RECOMMENDATION.

4. About six months in, after interviewing employers, J & J realized that they were attracted a more motivated candidate and not necessarily a better candidate. Plus, the mandatory recommendation was limiting the amount of applications.

EatDrinkJobs Part 3: Iteration #2

1. Once we removed the recommendation, volume of candidates went up significantly.

2. We also added a subsciption model of unlimited montly job postings which makes EatDrinkJobs very competitve against Craigslist and increased revenue. Employers pay to post jobs.

Challenges and Assumptions:

1. Assumpiton: if we get more job seekers applying to jobs, the employers will come.

2. Assumption: Employers will want to use a far better product that is oriented toward their industry over Craigslist.

3. Challange: Critical Line Cook shortage in New York City. All chef positions are a challenge.

4. Assumption: Testing a referral fee for job seekers currently. We are guessing that this will create more interest among job seekers and spur viral growth.